


language of averted eyes

by itisjosh



Series: reflections and reveries [2]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Best Friends, Developing Friendships, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Knights - Freeform, Mentioned Niki | Nihachu, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Prince TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Resentment, Swordfighting, Training, knight tubbo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:07:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29170830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itisjosh/pseuds/itisjosh
Summary: Tubbo is a knight - he's Prince Tommy's knight, to be exact.He hates it.(at first)
Relationships: Toby Smith | Tubbo & Technoblade, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot
Series: reflections and reveries [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2143134
Comments: 24
Kudos: 640





	language of averted eyes

Tubbo stands in front of the gates that lead to the castle, the Crown Prince and his knight on either side of him. Tubbo resists the urge to turn around and run. He knows that even if he managed to escape, which he wouldn't, he'd be hunted down for the rest of his life. He knows how this works, he knows exactly how all of this works. He's seen his friends get shipped off to become knights, to lay down their lives for people that they've never met. Tubbo knows that this royal family isn't the worst, but they're still _royals_ , they still don't give a shit about the people that they rule over. It's a shame, he thinks to himself as the gates swing open, that he was the one in their sights this time. Tubbo doesn't even understand why - it doesn't make any sense to him. He's just a normal kid without any training whatsoever. The one fight he got in was when he was seven, and he had lost that. Tubbo came home with a broken nose and a bleeding knee, and he hadn't heard the end of it from Niki for the next week or so. 

He misses Niki. Tubbo sighs, walking forwards into castle's training yard, scanning the area around him. Everything is bright and green and he can tell that it's all been trimmed by people who hate the royal family. Everything is just uneven enough to be noticable, and Tubbo wonders if the people who did that will be executed. It's what happened before King Phil, it's what his father did to anyone who showed any sign of wavering loyalties. And they wonder why every person in the capital hates them. Tubbo doesn't let the Crown Prince or his stupid knight touch him, marching forwards without resistance. He might as well, since there's no way he'll be able to escape from here. He knows better than to try and run. Tubbo isn't stupid, he knows that if he tries that he'll either be dragged back here or he'll be killed, and neither of those options are particularly interesting to him.

Tubbo glances over his shoulder for half a second, watching the buildings get further and further away from him. The capital doesn't look all that great from up here. The castle on the hill makes everything else look pathetic, and Tubbo wonders if they did that on purpose. Just to remind the people who aren't royalty how little that they actually mean. Tubbo assumes that they did, it makes sense. To beat and belittle the people until they stop asking questions, until they stop fighting against it. "Wilbur," the Crown Prince's knight suddenly stops moving, and Tubbo does the same. He looks over at the Crown Prince, looking back to his knight. "There are intruders in the castle." 

"You're positive?" The Crown Prince asks, not even hesitating to ask if his knight is wrong. Tubbo blinks, tilting his head to the side as he watches them, silently. They both share a look with each other, hundreds of words passing between their eyes, before they nod in unison. "Tubbo, stay here. Techno, you keep him safe, okay?" The Crown Prince looks from him to his knight, and Tubbo frowns even more. Why wouldn't the Crown Prince take his knight with him? That's what knights are for, that's the entire reason that they exist - to protect their royals, to lay down their lives for their royals. Why would the Crown Prince risk leaving his knight here and dying? His knight nods, unsheathing his sword, standing tall as he shifts to stand by Tubbo's side. The Crown Prince is gone in a few moments, pulling out a knife from his belt that Tubbo hadn't even seen. He raises an eyebrow, quietly realising that the Crown Prince probably has enough training that he won't die to some random assassin. Though Tubbo still thinks that it's stupid. If they're going to kidnap people from their homes and force them to turn into monsters, they might as well use them.

He sways on his feet, listening to footsteps echo around him, filling his ears. Tubbo feels his heart jump up to his throat, nervousness bubbling in his chest. Of course assassins would choose to try and kill the royal family on the day that he arrived. It's just his luck, he thinks bitterly. Tubbo wishes that he could say that he's surprised, but he's not. Tubbo listens to the wind blow around them, everything too eerily silent after a few moments. The Crown Prince's knight doesn't say anything, he just stands there, his sword hanging from his hand as he scans the field with narrowed eyes. "Techno?" Tubbo nearly jumps out of his skin at the sudden voice behind him, whirling around to face a boy whose face he knows all too fucking well. Prince Tommy stares back at him, though only briefly. "Where the fuck did Wilbur go? I saw him run off."

"Tommy," the Crown Prince's knight breathes out, something like annoyance in his features. "You need to get back inside, _now_. There are intruders somewhere around here. Wilbur went off to go and tell Phil. You need to.." the knight sighs, shaking his head. "I guess you'll probably be safer out here with me, but it'd be _so_ much better if they hadn't even known that you were out here. You're gonna get all of us targeted, Tommy. I still don't understand how Wilbur and Phil put up with you. Thank god I'm not assigned to babysit you all of the time. At least Wilbur's not all that reckless." The Prince laughs, crossing his arms against his chest, leaning on his heels. 

"Will's a fuckin' menace, Technoblade. Who's this?" The Prince motions over to him, one eyebrow raised to his hairline. "You keep bringing back more people, and you really have got the balls to wonder why the entire kingdom wants us all dead?" Prince Tommy laughs, and Tubbo sort of feels like he could like the Prince, if he wasn't a Prince. "Did you really bring back another kid to turn into a knight, Techno? Wilbur 'nd Phil are specifically trying to not do that anymore. Will wants to get rid of the system entirely, and Phil's trying to work on that. Why do we keep bringing back people?" The Crown Prince's knight opens his mouth to say something, but it turns into a shout, a warning cry. 

Tubbo gasps when he watches a man fall to the ground in front of him, an arrow embedded in his neck. The Crown Prince's knight is shouting, commanding out orders, crying out for help, shouting something at Tommy. He rushes off in half a second, leaving the two of them behind. Tubbo watches as he grabs a man by the back of the neck, slamming his sword through the man's back a second later. Tubbo sees another man running, and he's running right at them, and _holy shit he's aiming for the Prince_. Tubbo feels time slow down, he feels his entire world stop moving for a second, and he reaches down, pulling the sword out of the dead knight's hands. He immediately moves in front of Tommy, raising his sword, bracing for the man's sword to hit his, nearly stumbling back at the force of it all. 

He digs his heels into the ground, watching as the man looks at him in pure shock and surprise before his eyes glaze over. He drops to the ground, and Tubbo sees the Crown Prince's knight standing in front of them, something akin to terror in his eyes. "You.." the knight trails off, his eyes huge. Tubbo feels his hands shake, but he keeps a death grip on the sword's hilt, taking a few steps back, making the Prince stay behind him. Tubbo looks over his shoulder, locking eyes with Prince Tommy, who stares at him. Tubbo swears that Prince Tommy's eyes are even wider than the knight's, and he watches as the Prince breathes out. The weight of what happened settles onto Tubbo's shoulders - he just watched two men die. He saved someone's life, who he shouldn't have wanted to save. If the Crown Prince's knight hadn't come to kill that man, would Tubbo have killed him? Would he have done that, would he have taken a life to prolong a royal's? 

Tubbo doesn't know the answer to that, and it terrifies him. 

"Him," Prince Tommy's voice is soft, barely audible. "I want him."

Tubbo feels his heart plunge down into his stomach as realisation hits him. It's a harsh slap in the face, leaving stinging tears trailing behind. 

He's just been auctioned off to a royal by his own doing. 

* * *

"Your movement is off," Technoblade tells him, not entirely unkindly. Tubbo sighs in frustration, digging his heels into the ground as he grips the hilt of his sword a little tighter, shifting uncomfortably in his stupid armour. It's too big and heavy and it's hot, and Tubbo hates it so much, he hates all of it so much. If he hadn't saved Tommy's life, he'd be free from this. Maybe he would have even gotten killed himself, but _no_ , he had to pick up a sword and save another boy. Niki always told him that his heart was too big, and Tubbo agrees. He regrets it, he regrets it so much. He wouldn't be here right now if he had just let the Prince die, but he didn't. And now he gets to live with his consequences. "Tubbo." 

Tubbo glares up at the man training him, squaring his shoulders as he opens his mouth to retaliate, to insult the knight, but nothing comes out. Tubbo looks away, narrowing his eyes as he stares down at the ground. Along with being told his heart was too big, Tubbo remembers getting called a coward all too often. He thinks that they were right. Tommy said that he wanted Tubbo, and he hasn't budged on that choice. Tubbo thinks that he could get away with insulting the Crown Prince's knight, but he's still too afraid to do that. Wilbur, the Crown Prince, has significantly more power than Tommy does. Tubbo isn't stupid enough to try to test his limits with either one of them. Tommy would be smart enough to realise that if Tubbo were to suddenly disappear it would mean that he had been killed, so that's not an option. That doesn't mean that they can't make his life a living hell, though. Techno sighs, dropping his hand to the side, his sword scraping the surface of the ground. 

"I tried to kill Wilbur." 

"What?" Tubbo frowns, narrowing his eyes sharply at the knight. "That's not that everyone said." He doesn't know why Techno has just decided to tell him this, and he doesn't really care. he just wants this training session to be done so he can go and lay down for a few hours before he's woken up to start sparring again. It's his life now, and he wishes so badly that it wasn't. Tubbo thinks that he would do it all over again if he could. He'd let Tommy die. He would, he wouldn't save him. 

Techno smiles at him, his tusks protruding from the sides of his mouth. "It's the truth. I was sent from the Southern Kingdom to kill the King and his kids, and I only managed to get close enough to Wilbur. They told me that if I killed the royal family in the capital, _my_ family wouldn't be executed," Techno reaches up, tugging an ear, motioning to his tusks. "Hybrids. We're killed in the Southern Kingdom, all of us. If we're not killed, we're out to work, made to do everythin' for everyone else. So," he shrugs. "I said yes. And when I said yes, I didn't realise that they wanted proof. So I broke into the castle, I studied it, I made sure to figure out all the escape routes 'nd how to get in without bein' caught. And then I did that, and I went right to Wilbur's room."

"What's this got to do wi-"

"I'm gettin' to that," Techno snorts. "Wilbur was sat in his bed, readin' some book about politics. And I came in with a sword in my hand, and I put it to his throat. I had never killed a royal before, only other common people, other assassins. People like me, who were made to fight for their lives and their families. Wilbur just laughed at me, he looked up at me and he put his book down, and he told me hello," Techno smiles, looking away. "He started to make conversation with me. He didn't let up until I started yellin' at him, and that was my mistake. I don't know why I didn't kill him," he admits. "But I'm glad I didn't. I'm sure you've heard about the rest. This assassin who managed to get past everyone gets forced into being the Crown Prince's lapdog," Techno scoffs. "That's not true."

Tubbo looks at him, wishing that he'd just shut the fuck up. "I don't care."

Techno nods. "I know. I was angry," he looks away. "I was pissed. I wanted to kill him and I wanted to kill every single person that had _anythin'_ to do with me gettin' forced into bein' a knight. I was furious, and I tried to escape a lot. Every single time, Wilbur managed to find me. He didn't try to bring me back, he just sat down with a book and he'd read chapters to me, and then I'd.." Techno trails off. "I'd come back. Every single time, I'd come back to the castle. I don't know why. But I felt- I guess, I..it was like a connection," Techno smiles. "Sometimes you feel connected to people, and you won't even leave their sides, even if you hate them."

"That's nice," Tubbo raises his sword. "I don't care. I don't want to be here, I got taken from my home. You had chances to run," Tubbo sneers at him. "Maybe you should've. Would have made this entire country a fucking lot nicer." 

"They're tryin' to fix the system," Techno sighs. "Phil and Wilbur, they're tryin' to get rid of the knight system. They want people to volunteer or actively want to be knights. They don't control everythin', Tubbo. The last King put in a lot of people who shared his ideals and he made them more powerful than him so when he died, the next King couldn't just ruin everythin' that he had set up. That's why things are so bad. The royals here, this royal family, Tubbo, they aren't bad people. Wilbur is my best friend, he's like my little brother. Phil is like my father, and Tommy's like my younger, annoyin' brother. He's a good person, Tubbo. I know you don't want to be here, and neither did I, not at first. All I'm sayin' is," Techno breathes out, "give it a chance. Give us a chance before you decide you hate us."

Tubbo raises his sword, narrowing his eyes. He isn't going to believe a word spoken from the mouth of a man who was forced into this life. If anything, Tubbo thinks that he can't trust Technoblade at all. Of course he'd vouch for his stupid fucking royal family. They're not the same.

"Just teach me how to fight."

* * *

Studying sessions with Wilbur are the worst. Tubbo isn't allowed to have a normal tutor like everyone else, no. He has to directly interact with the royal family even more, and he's so fucking sick and tired of it. Tubbo leans back in his chair, wondering when Wilbur will shut the hell up about whatever he's talking about. He hasn't been paying attention at all, and he knows that it pisses Wilbur off. It's the only reason he does it. Tubbo thought that he'd be more compliant, that he would listen to the people he was told to, but he isn't. He's bitter and angry and pissed off, and he just wants to _home_ , but he _can't_ , and he hates it so much. 

To be a knight, Tubbo thinks, he has to listen.

He has to do as he's told. 

He has to put his life down for his royal. 

He's not allowed to move away from his royal in public. Wherever Prince Tommy goes, Tubbo will have to follow. 

He's supposed to be quiet and deadly, a silent, living sword. He isn't meant to talk freely, he's supposed to just be a weapon. A shield. 

All of those things are traits that Tubbo doesn't have, all of those things are traits that he doesn't _want_ to have. He's stubbornly resisting against it, and he hates that he finds himself wanting to just give in more and more with each passing day. Tubbo is so tired of all of this, he's so exhausted of having to learn about fighting and training and how to be a proper knight, how to be a fucking weapon. He's not meant to be a human anymore, that's what everyone is trying to teach him.

Tubbo isn't meant to be a person, not anymore. He's supposed to be a sword and a weapon and a shield. All his life is good for now is to be thrown away at the sight of danger anywhere near Tommy's vicinity. Tubbo hates it, and he hates the Crown Prince and his stupid knight, and he hates the King.

He hates Prince Tommy the most. 

"He feels bad," Wilbur clears his throat. "Tommy, I mean. He thinks that you hate him."

"I do."

"I know," Wilbur smiles. "Techno hated me, too. I'm sorry," Wilbur offers. "I can get him someone else, but I can't let you go back home, I'm sorry. I really, really am," his eyes shine with genuinity, and Tubbo wishes that it was easier to hate the Crown Prince. "I'm trying to fix everything. This entire system is so fucking awful, and I'm trying to make it better. I can get Tommy a new knight. I can take him out and make all the knights line up, and I can make him pick one. It doesn't have to be you." 

Niki always told him that he was too generous, that his heart was too big. That he'd do anything so other people didn't have to.

Every knight here hates the royal family, it's apparent from the way they talk about them. Half of those knights would kill Tommy without ever feeling remorse.

Tubbo isn't a murderer. The people out there, they are. They're killers, all of them are. Some of them are just for show, but most of them have murdered someone before. They wouldn't hesitate to kill the Prince. 

"I'll stay," Tubbo mutters, gripping his pen a little tighter, listening to it crack and break in half. "I'll stay."

* * *

He stays. 

Tubbo stands silently in front of my Tommy's room, sword carefully tucked in his sheathe. He's still not allowed in, for whatever reason. Everyone has decided that he's gotten enough training - weeks have passed by with Technoblade and Wilbur. Tubbo glances away from the hallway ahead of him, listening to Tommy walk around in his room, footsteps heavy, thumping around. Tubbo has learnt how to keep his steps quiet.

He's learnt a lot of things. Like how to bite down on his tongue so hard it bleeds so he doesn't talk back to the King. He's learnt how to dig his fingernails into the palm of his hand so he doesn't punch someone. Tubbo isn't a violent person, he's _not_. He doesn't understand why every single thing in this castle makes him so angry, but he guesses that it's just the castle corrupting him. He wouldn't be surprised - he's seen his friends come into this place and come out horrible, twisted monsters. The more time he spends here the more of his friends he sees. Not all of them hate the royal family as much as he thought they did.

Tubbo was wrong about a lot of things, it seems. He doesn't want to be wrong, because if he's _wrong_ and he stayed as Tommy's knight, then he did that to himself. He didn't have to. He could have lived his life normally. If he was wrong and he chose to stay, he threw away his chance of escape, Tubbo would never be able to forgive himself for that. He stands a little taller, a little straighter, as the door opens. He squares his shoulders and stares off into the hallway, not looking back even though he desperately wants to. 

"Hey," Tommy stands in front of him, looking tired. "Hello?" Tommy waves a hand, and Tubbo's only response is to raise an eyebrow. "I heard you talk before, right? Tubbo, you're.." the Prince looks away, staring down at his feet. "I'm sorry. It was a stupid choice, and I know that you hate me, and I'm _sorry_ , is that what you.." Tommy sighs. "I can get you out of the castle, I- I can let you leave. I know that you live down in Rivermill, right? With the big windmill 'nd shit, yeah? I've been there a few times with Wilbur. It's really nice." Tubbo feels himself smile at the name of his home. 

"It's a fishing community," he opens his mouth before he can stop himself. "Not a whole lot of people. I knew everyone there, they all knew me. Most of- most of my friends got taken to be knights. I see them all the time. They're not the same," Tubbo shrugs. "Most of them aren't. Some of them don't even know who I am. All I am to them is _Sir Tubbo,_ and I wish that I wasn't. I didn't want to be a knight." 

Tommy nods, shifting awkwardly on his feet. "I'm sorry. Listen- I..the offer still stands. I can take you back home. But you, you didn't even acknowledge that," Tommy smiles, looking strained and tired and hurt. "Most knights aren't made to stand by royals, not at first. Not so suddenly. My last knight, he was- he was my best friend. Said that he wanted to protect me, so he went into training. I told Phil that I wanted him as my knight, and Phil said yeah, and then he was my knight, no questions asked. But," Tommy laughs, closing his eyes. "He's gone, now. Dead. Every knight I had after that hated me. All of them hated me, and I didn't ask for them, I didn't even want another knight," he pauses. "Maybe, Tubbo, maybe we could be friends. Maybe we could try, at least. I'm lonely, Tubbo. "I'm really, really lonely."

Tubbo leans back on his heels, furrowing his eyebrows together as he blinks rapidly up at the ceiling. "I'm lonely, too," he whispers, wondering why he feels like he wants to cry. "I'm supposed to hate you. I want to hate you. You- you're not making it easy for me. You really aren't." Tommy laughs, ducking his head. 

"I'm sorry," he offers. "How about we just wander around the castle? I'm sure Wilbur showed you everything official here, but I know a couple of secret exits that I think would be _really_ useful for a knight to know," Tommy grins. "You know?" Tubbo smiles back, wondering how he's let himself fall right into this trap. Tommy is a royal, and he's a royal that Tubbo is supposed to hate. 

And yet, after three minutes of talking, Tubbo has to rethink his entire idea of this Prince. 

"Yeah," Tubbo smiles back. "I know."

Tommy grins at him, a stupid, mischievous look falling over his face. "Fuck yeah. Let's get out of here, bitch boy!" Tommy is off running in a second, and Tubbo is forced to follow, jogging after his royal.

"What the hell did you just call me?" He asks, unable to suppress a laugh that rises from his chest. " _Bitch boy?_ I'm not-" Tubbo cuts himself off, shaking his head. Tommy just laughs and grins and calls back with more profanities and insults and words that Tubbo really doesn't think he should know. With every shouted half-insult, Tubbo can feel himself become more and more relaxed, something like fondness settling in his chest. 

Maybe Tommy isn't as bad as Tubbo thought.

Maybe he was wrong.

Tubbo hopes that he was wrong.

* * *

"You're terrible at this," Tubbo grins, putting down three of his cards, covering the deck. "You're actually really bad at this," he laughs, flipping over the middle card. "I win, again. Didn't anyone ever teach you how to play card games?" Tubbo asks, raising an eyebrow at the Prince. Tommy just flips him off again, throwing his cards to the ground. He sighs, long and low, leaning back. Tubbo laughs again, watching as his royal throws a silent fit. He always does whenever Tubbo wins one of their games. "I could try to teach you if you weren't so goddamn stubborn."

Tommy narrows his eyes up at him, sticking out his tongue. "You're just a shit teacher, that's all there is to it," he mutters, scrunching up his face. "You're a shit teacher _and_ you're a cheater, that's the only way you're winning all of these games. No way anyone is this good at some stupid card game." Tubbo rolls his eyes, picking up all of the cards and shuffling them. Tommy flops to the ground, dramatic as he always is. In the week or two that Tubbo has gotten to know the Prince, he's learnt a lot about him. Tommy is dramatic, and Tubbo's certain that he gets it from Wilbur. He's loud and blunt and annoying every now and then, and he doesn't shut up even when Tubbo tells him to. He runs off all the time, and Tubbo has follow him to make sure that his royal doesn't die, which is unbelievably annoying.

His royal is a menace and difficult to keep up with, but he's also human. Tommy is so plainly human that it hurts. He wears his heart on his sleeve, more so than Tubbo does. He laughs and grins and jokes with everyone, even the castle servants who so clearly hate him. He doesn't ever take it personally, he brushes it off and bounces back, trying again the next day, and the next, and the next. Tommy is stubborn, but he's kind, he's smart, he's clever. He's not an evil, bitter royal like Tubbo was raised to believe. He's a good person, and he's an even better friend. Tubbo still has days where he gets angry, where he refuses to talk to his royal, but he thinks that Tommy understands. Neither of them asked to be in the position that they're in, and they'll just have to make the most of it. 

It's easier with Tommy, he thinks. His entire life is much, much easier with his royal in it. Tubbo didn't think that he would ever like Tommy, and yet here he is, picking up cards and teasing his royal for being shit at a card game. Life is so much simpler with someone else in it, it's less lonely, less painful. Tubbo is thankful that he has his stupid royal, even if he's annoying and loud and hard to get along with sometimes. 

"You're just a bad student," Tubbo smiles, flicking a card at his royal. "You're too obvious. You give away your hand before you even have a chance to play it. You gotta, like, just have a straight face, you know? You can't smile in the middle of a game, 'cause then you have a bad hand. And you can't narrow your eyes, 'cause that also means you've got a bad hand. Your face gets all bright whenever you actually have a good hand, and when I _know_ you have a good hand, I can prepare for it." 

Tommy throws his head back, sighing even louder this time. "I didn't have time to play card games 'nd shit, Tubbo. I had to prepare for, like, assassination attempts. And how to dance. Wilbur got taught how to stab people, and I had to learn what fucking foot movements I had to do to show that I'm from the capital. That's _such_ bullshit. You know," Tommy starts, grinning. "What if you-"

"No," Tubbo cuts him off before he even gets the chance. "Teaching you how to use a sword would be the worst possible choice I think that I could ever make. You've got a knight for a reason, Tommy," he smiles. "I'm not going to let you steal all the spotlight, now am I?" Tommy's grin fades into a smile, one that looks fond. "Don't look at me like that. You'll get all mushy, and I know you hate it when you feel an emotion other than rage." 

"Oh, fuck you, bitch!" Tommy laughs, shoving him back. The cards fly out of Tubbo's hands, scattering all along the floor. "Yeah, that's what you get, bitch! Bitch! Bitch boy, you are a bitch!" Tubbo grins, rolling his eyes at his royal. "Tubbo, I'm ordering you to say that you are a bitch or else I'm going to-"

"You are a bitch," Tubbo repeats without hesitation. Tommy stares at him. "What?" He grins. "I'm just repeating what you told me to." 

Tommy narrows his eyes. "I'm gonna give you two seconds to run before I tackle you to the fucking ground," Tubbo rolls his eyes again, seriously doubting that Tommy will actually try to do anything. He regrets that train of thought about a half-second letter, yelping when Tommy lunges for him without a second of hesitation. "Yeah, bitch! Fuck you, bitch boy! How's it feel, huh? You're on the ground, bitch!" Tubbo smiles, wondering when he stopped hating Tommy. He smiles up at the stupid boy that towers above him, puffing out his chest and grinning, swearing and laughing. 

Tubbo sighs as he stares up at the ceiling, listening to Tommy cackle. He's stupidly loud and annoying, but his even stupider laugh is more contagious than anything. Tubbo can't help but join in, barks of laughter escaping his throat as he laughs along with his best friend. He sits back up, laughing and grabbing Tommy's wrist when the Prince tries to shove him back again. "Too slow, Tommy. _Way_ too slow." Tommy playfully narrows his eyes, a coy grin spreading across his face?

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really," Tubbo pauses, grinning. "Bitch."

Tommy erupts into a flurry of swears and swinging fists, never landing a single hit. Tubbo bursts out laughing as he raises his arms to defend himself, nearly doubling over with how hard he laughs. 

Being a knight isn't nearly as bad as he thought.

Being _Tommy's_ knight isn't nearly as bad as he thought.

* * *

The garden is much nicer at night. 

Tubbo stares up at the moon and the stars, pale red roses standing out against the darkness. Everything is beautiful here, soft and fragile and perfect. There's a small lake in the middle of the garden, a tiny, man-made waterfall pouring into it. It's perfect here, everything is so perfect. It's quiet, a few stray crickets chirping, a couple of locusts buzzing in the distance. The oil lamps that line the outer fall of the castle shine softly, a dull orange that flickers every couple of seconds. Tubbo likes it here, he likes it a lot. He enjoys everything about this, everything here is gorgeous. 

Tommy is sat next to him, resting his head on Tubbo's shoulder, droning on about something in his ear. Tubbo listens to the water run, gently splashing into the lake. It's nice. Tubbo never thought that he would be here in his life. He remembers coming out here every now and then, when he was still resentful and angry and mad, but it's a lot different now. It's a lot nicer. Less lonely, less bitter. It's warmer, even the air feels different. It's less suffocating, more open and welcome and kind. 

Tubbo is happy here. He's really, really happy here. "I still want you to teach me how to fight," Tommy murmurs. "I'm serious. If something happened to you and I couldn't help, I.." Tommy's voice drops, sounding worried. "If I can't keep you safe, what's the point?"

"I'm the one who's supposed to keep _you_ safe," Tubbo reminds him. "That's my job, not yours. You just have to sit and look pretty while your dad and Wilbur do all the work."

"Tubbo. I'm being serious," Tommy looks up at him, his eyebrows furrowed. "I want to keep you safe. You're my friend. You're not _just_ my knight, you were never _just_ that. You're a person and you're my friend, my _best friend_ , and if you died, I don't know what the fuck I would do, Tubbo. I'm serious, I'm really fucking serious. I can't lose another person because I didn't know how to protect them. I want to keep you safe. I want to make sure you're okay. I don't say it, 'cause I don't _want_ to say it just in case, but I _love_ you, Tubbo. I do."

Tubbo looks down at his friend, his best friend, feeling tears spring to his eyes because it's been so long since he's heard those words from anyone. Tubbo pulls Tommy in for a half-armed hug, resting his head against Tommy's. "I'll get Techno to teach you how to fight," he murmurs. "I'll help. I love you too, Tommy. I'm not going to go anywhere, I promise. I'm careful," he tries to assure the Prince, but he doubts that it works - the words don't even feel real to himself. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

"You can't promise your life," Tommy scoffs. "But, um, thank you. I really just..I don't want to have to sit here and be useless. I don't want to not be able to save you if something happens. I need to be able to protect you, too. I have to. I'll take everything seriously, I promise. I'll make sure that I don't fuck around and I- I'll learn, and I'll listen. If it means keeping you safe, Tubbo," Tommy moves away, locking eyes with him. "Then I'll do anything. I'd burn the world to make sure you were okay."

Tubbo smiles at him, reaching up to wipe away some of his own tears. "I'd do the same. Do you believe in love at first sight, Tommy?"

"No," Tommy answers. "But I believe in friendship at first sight. I believe that you can know that you'll love someone as your best friend when you first meet them. Do you?" Tubbo smiles, standing up. He turns away, picking a rose from its stem. He turns back, tucking the rose in Tommy's shirt pocket. 

"I do. That's why I picked up the sword."

Tommy stares at him, a sort of shocked look on his face. He reaches up, clasping Tubbo's hand before he can move it away. "That's why I chose you."

"I chose you, too," Tubbo murmurs. "I'm glad it was you."

"Me too," Tommy smiles, tears trailing down his face. The good kind, Tubbo thinks. "Me too."

And even though only a few months ago Tubbo would have scoffed at the words, he only feels the tears fall down his face even faster.

He believes Tommy. Tubbo believes him, because why wouldn't he? They're best friends. Tubbo knows that he would have thought different a few months back, but a few months back he was wrong - he was so unbelievably wrong. Right now, though, he knows better. He knows that Tommy loves him, that everything he says is true, and there's really only one way that he's certain of that.

They did choose each other, after all. 


End file.
